Libyan casualties pile up as IS militants join the fray
The UN reports at least 47 dead with nearly 200 injured as jihadists as the country threatens to slide into civil war
Tripoli/Geneva — Casualties from the battle for Tripoli mounted on Tuesday as a group loyal to Islamic State (IS) killed three people in Libya’s remote centre showing how militants may exploit renewed chaos. The UN’s health body said local facilities had reported 47 people killed and 181 wounded in recent days as eastern forces seek to take Libya’s coastal capital from an internationally recognised government. This was a higher toll than numbers given by either side, and appears to be mainly fighters, although it also includes some civilians, including two doctors, World Health Organisation (WHO) spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic told a Geneva news briefing. The eastern Libyan National Army (LNA) forces of Khalifa Haftar — a former general in ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi’s army — seized the largely desert south earlier this year before heading to Tripoli this month, where they are ensconced on the southern side. The government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj is looking to block them w...
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